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Girl's mother calls for more information about allergy dangers

Caroline Sloan said she did not know enough about the dangers of her daughter's allergyEmma Sloan died from anaphylactic shock in December

The mother of a girl who died following an allergic reaction to peanuts has said there needs to be more education and information about allergies for parents and families.

Caroline Sloan's daughter Emma developed a reaction after mistakenly eating satay sauce in a Chinese restaurant in December.

She did not have her medication with her. Her family went to a pharmacy, but it was unable to dispense the EpiPen adrenaline injection she needed.

Emma died in hospital a short time later from anaphylactic shock brought on by a peanut allergy.

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Edition, Ms Sloan said she and her family had not been given enough information about the potential impact of Emma's allergy.

She said she had not known that Emma's allergy could cause a potentially fatal reaction.

"The worst I was thinking was Emma would be in hospital for Christmas," she said. "I just didn't even know it could kill her. I just didn't know.

"But from parents that I've spoken to and families that I've spoken to, they've never been given the information and education that they need to keep their kids alive."

Ms Sloan is running a campaign calling for better information for people with allergies.

She is also calling for EpiPens to be made more freely available in several locations, including schools, restaurants and crèches, and for people with allergies to be given a special identification tag.